Whole Foods Market recently announced its commitment to reduce food waste by selling “ugly” fruits and vegetables. After receiving numerous encouragements from environmentalists, including a petition published on ForceChange, the company announced that starting in April it will begin to stock the store’s produce department with fruits and vegetables that are less aesthetically pleasing but equally edible and healthy. With this new program, Whole Foods will be fighting wasteful food disposal and setting an example that other grocery stores will hopefully follow.

Consumers are often excessively picky when choosing produce that looks flawless, and as a result a huge amount of perfectly good food gets thrown away every day. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, Americans are throwing out approximately $165 billion worth of uneaten food each year in a massive waste of resources. Even worse, this food ends up rotting in landfills where it accounts for a large amount of U.S. methane emissions.

If given the chance, it is possible for consumers to make informed decisions when purchasing produce that will keep these perfectly healthy fruits and vegetables from going to waste and change our perspective on food aesthetics. Whole Foods will be partnering with Imperfect Produce in their new program, a company dedicated to reducing the waste of “ugly” fruits and vegetables. This partnership will make a huge difference in changing the bias against “ugly” produce, and will set Whole Foods apart as a leader in the fight to reduce food waste. Sign the petition below to thank Whole Foods for its efforts to promote environmental sustainability and to show support for the new program.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Mr. Robb,

Thanks to your decision to partner with Imperfect Produce in an effort to reduce food waste, Whole Foods Market will soon be taking a groundbreaking step by selling “ugly” produce. This decision to stock the produce department with fruits and vegetables that are less aesthetically pleasing but equally healthy and edible will make a huge difference in promoting environmental sustainability.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, the U.S. is throwing out approximately $165 billion worth of uneaten food each year. Not only is this a massive waste of resources, but it also accounts for a large amount of America’s methane emissions as the food ends up rotting in landfills. If “ugly” produce was consistently sold to consumers rather than being thrown away, this massive amount of food waste could be greatly reduced.

Whole Foods Market’s new program will make a huge difference in changing consumers’ perspective on “ugly” fruits and vegetables, and by promoting this less-than-perfect produce your company will be making progress toward reducing food waste. We, the undersigned, praise your efforts to promote environmental sustainability and applaud Whole Foods for stepping up as a leader in the fight to reduce food waste.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Masahiro Ihara

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